Caring for My Lord
by LemonFerret
Summary: During the Sasuke Retrieval Arc: Orochimaru is suffering from the wounds inflicted on his arms by the Third Hokage, and Kabuto desperately tries to take care of him. Orochimaru/Kabuto. Slight yaoi, mostly implied. Written for a friend!


A/N – **SPOILERS** (I suppose…kinda… well, not really, but whatever) until about episode 118 of the original Naruto series – so proceed with caution. This takes place during the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, when Orochimaru is waiting for the Sound Ninja Four to bring him Sasuke's body.

_This one-shot is dedicated to my Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Trumpeter, the one and only _crazedreader96akajetliormrslh_ . Thanks for the challenge! … and sorry it took so long. *facepalm* _

"aaaaaAHHHHHHHHH!"

Agonized screams echoed sickeningly throughout the lair, their sound waves reverberating seemingly through every candle-lit passage, every cramped, dark room. Occasionally the wails would pause, only to be replaced by the ominous stillness which normally reigned undisturbed in Orochimaru's hideout.

Lord Orochimaru was in great pain, suffering from the wounds on his arms inflicted by the deceased Third Hokage. He stood in the shower, his useless arms propped up against the white-tiled walls, panting as he tried in vain to contain his yells. He watched through a haze of pain as blood oozed from his black-charred limbs, dripping to the floor and trickling down the shower's drain. Without warning, intense pain suddenly seared through his hands, and he yelled once more.

Kabuto heard his Lord's cries only too well – each one seemed to send waves of worry coursing through his body, despite his sadistic nature. After hours of attempting to block out the sounds of his Lord's distress, Kabuto found himself in the bathroom with Orochimaru, no longer able to ignore the other's pain. _I am a medic-nin, after all. Though the Third Hokage's jutsu was incredibly powerful, I should still be able to give him some pain killers, or ointment, at least. To alleviate the suffering…_Kabuto cringed mentally as his Lord howled stridently from less than five feet away.

The medic-nin could see the outline of his Lord's hunched and shivering body through the semi-transparent shower curtain that separated them. The shuddering body contracted as a moan escaped the Sannin's lips, a sound that pierced Kabuto to the bone. He'd never heard such a pained and helpless sound before. Eyes wide behind glinting glasses, Kabuto murmured, half to himself, "Lord Orochimaru…."

Suddenly aware of his assistant's presence and of his own helplessness, Orochimaru frustratedly stated, between gasps, "They're not here yet!" And then, more angrily, "Still no sign of Sasuke!" At the moment, all that Lord Orochimaru wanted was for the pain to stop, for the horrible aching to just stop, _please_…. and Sasuke was taking too long! The great ninja could feel himself becoming faint from the pain that seemed to course through his ruined arms. _Sasuke! Where are you? _"AAAAHHHHHHg!"

_Time's running out_, Kabuto thought._ He can't go on like this! _This last scream had stiffened the medic-nin's resolve, and he finally got up the nerve to beg: "Please, my lord. There are many other bodies ready for you!" Although he tried to mask his worry with a professional demeanor, his voice gave him away; it was pleading, cracked. "My Lord…" Although Orochimaru, being behind the curtain, could not see his assistant's face, he could tell by the renewed force in Kabuto's voice that the blonde's face was screwed up in determination. "… You may even use mine if you want!"

"No!" The response came so rapidly that it seemed almost an instinctual reaction. Orochimaru panted and shuddered from the force of the ache that had shot down his arms at his own forceful exclamation. He worked up just enough energy to gasp hoarsely, "It must… be Sasuke…!"

Convulsing violently, Orochimaru fell to the white-tiled floor, moaning loudly as the tender skin of his arms came into contact with the cold ground. Kabuto was by his side in less than a second, ripping away the shower curtain and more than ready to help cure his Lord. Kabuto noticed how vivid the ruby-red blood looked against his Lord's sickly-pale skin. His master was shivering – he had to move Lord Orochimaru from the cold tile immediately, ideally to a bed or someplace equally as warm and comfortable – and easy to operate on.

Kabuto knelt down beside Lord Orochimaru, gently snaking his arms under his Lord's thin back and knees. He blushed when his eyes slid involuntarily to glance at the part of his master's anatomy that was awkwardly positioned directly below Kabuto's face. Swallowing thickly, Kabuto mentally berated himself for such inappropriate thoughts. _Focus! The most important thing is helping Lord Orochimaru through his suffering! FOCUS!_

A quick shake of the head later, Kabuto hoisted his master into his arms and took off through the hideout, heading for Orochimaru's chamber. He was at his destination in less than ten seconds; bursting open the door, Kabuto rushed into the dark room towards the large canopy bed that he knew was situated towards the middle of the chamber.

Kabuto gently placed Orochimaru on the bed, making sure his master would be as comfortable as possible, and then started doing what he did best: healing. A quick analysis of Lord Orochimaru's body told the medic-nin that he could not do much as far as healing his Lord went… With a sigh, Kabuto muttered, "A large dose of painkillers ought to ease his pain..."

Reaching into his back pocket, the medic-nin pulled out a sterile syringe and filled it to its maximum capacity with a special fast-acting painkiller of his own invention. His glasses glinted in the candlelight as he reached for Lord Orochimaru's arm, but thought better of it. _There's no way the needle will be able to pierce through skin this damaged… I'll have to inject it via the neck. _Kabuto leaned in towards the prone body of his pale master, who was panting heavily on the canopy bed. Attempting to ignore the sounds coming out of his master's mouth (and the embarrassing and unprofessional effect they seemed to be having on his body), Kabuto brushed the silky black hair away from Orochimaru's neck. Careful to avoid his Lord's jugular, Kabuto deftly injected the painkiller into his Lord's bloodstream, sighing in relief when, barely a second later, his master's shaking and sweating seemed to lessen. But the panting… the panting remained. They had slowed, yes, but the noises and heaving breathing continued in an agonizingly regular rhythm. Had Orochimaru kept a mirror in his bedroom, Kabuto would have noticed that his face was turning redder with every noise that escaped the Sannin's lips. He closed his eyes and took in a shuddering breath of his own. _Stop it, Kabuto! Get a hold of yourself! _Before he had regained his composure, however, Lord Orochimaru's eyes fluttered, his fingers twitching. _Oh… he's regaining consciousness_ was the feeble thought that came to Kabuto's arousal-induced mind. With a long, drawn-out moan that made Kabuto's pants feel extremely tight, Orochimaru awoke completely. Sweat-drenched hair plastered to his forehead, Orochimaru glanced around his chamber… and made eye-contact with the squirming Kabuto.

The powerful ninja's forehead furrowed for a moment in confusion, and emotion which was quickly chased off of his face by a knowing smirk. _Amazing, _Kabuto thought weakly, _even in a state of extreme discomfort he still has the energy to condescend to me. _

In a sudden movement which somewhat startled Kabuto, Orochimaru propped himself up on his injured arms and looked straight into the medic-nin's eyes. Kabuto gasped, eyes wide, staring into the cold eyes of his Lord… eyes that were set in a serpentine face a mere inch away. _Funny_, thought Kabuto almost hysterically, _now I'm the one who's panting. _Kabuto had no time for another thought, for barely a second after the latest thought crossed his mind, Orochimaru, with his incredible ninja-speed, abruptly closed the distance between their faces, capturing Kabuto's thin lips in a slimy kiss. Through his shock, Kabuto registered the taste of sweat on his master's lips, and leaned into the kiss, deepening it considerably in his enthusiasm. The pretty Sannin chuckled darkly, and suddenly Kabuto found himself about to choke on the sheer amount of _tongue_ that abruptly invaded his mouth. As Kabuto gagged, Orochimaru smirked around his tongue and withdrew it, observing with amusement as Kabuto doubled over coughing, tears streaming down his face. Laughing quietly to himself, Orochimaru sat up completely. With another evil glance in Kabuto's direction, he wrapped his tongue around the medic-nin's body, using it to pull the younger man into the bed with him. Before Kabuto could react, the Sannin slithered up the medic-nin's body, coming to a stop only when each body was flush against the other's.

"Heh heh," the snake-man chuckled into the medic-nin's ear, "I may not have my arms to use to pleasure you with… but just imagine what fun we can have when I have a twenty-foot long tongue at my disposal."

… Kabuto came for the first time that night then and there.

A/N – So, crazedreader96akajetliormrslh (or anyone else who has an opinion): do you want more? Your choice. XD

…By the way, is Orochimaru even considered a Sannin anymore? O.o


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